Dear Sam Mentor is a column that will appear in each issue of the Transfer Times. If you have a question that you would like answered, email it to SAM Mentor at sam_asp@shsu.edu and you will receive a response. If we think it is of general interest we will publish it in the next news letter.

Dear SAM Mentor,

I am a new transfer student at SHSU. I spent two years at our local community college where I did very well academically. I am hoping to make friends and get involved here but I am not sure where to start. Please Advise.

Dear Eager to Get Involved,

First let me welcome you. I hope that you have as successful a time at Sam Houston as you did at your community college. I have a number of suggestions for you. Sam Houston has some wonderful opportunities for meaningful activities outside of the classroom. Visit the Student Activities Office on the 3rd floor of the LSC and talk with them in person. You can also check out their website at www.shsu.edu/~slo_sad/v2/studentorgs/index. I encourage you to make a contribution but at the same time please remember that four year institutions may have different academic demands and your grades come first. Check out the Study Skills Series offered at the SAM Center. This free, six-week series, of fifty-minute sessions will make certain that you understand the expectations here. www.shsu.edu/~sam_www/mentoring/study_skills

Transfer Times

This is our first issue of the Transfer Times. The mission of this newsletter is to make certain that students who transfer to Sam Houston State University have access to individuals and resources that support their academic success and overall achievement. Although Sam Houston has a culture of warmth and friendliness, it can still be a maze when it comes to having specific questions answered or problems solved. The Student Advising and Mentoring Center wants to be your first stop in the problem-solving process. We are situated on the main floor of CHSS, offices 170 (Advising, to answer advising questions) and office 190 (the Mentoring side, to help you sort out everything else.) We offer a range of programs so check out our website at www.shsu.edu~sam_www/mentoring/index.html and we have mentors happy to visit with you, one-on-one, at any time.

Our goal is to put out a newsletter three times a semester. Please let us know what you think of this one. Your suggestions and feedback are welcome…more importantly come and see us, "let us help you succeed"--- Dr. Bernice Strauss sam_bss@shsu.edu.

Transfer Advisory Board

The Student Advising and Mentoring Center has formed a Transfer Student Advisory Board. If you are a transfer student and have questions and would like to connect with our Advisory Board please feel free to contact our members. Maurice Daaboul , Wharton County Junior College, Business major, mjd015@shsu.edu; Elizabeth Medly, Houston Baptist University, Psychology major, eap013@shsu.edu; James (Ken) Coneby, Lone Star Community College, History major, kenedy@sbcglobal.net; Steven Denton, Blinn, Marketing major swd001@shsu.edu; Rachel Brass, Lone Star Community College Psychology major, rrh021@shsu.edu.

Important Announcements

Get Advised! Registration for Summer opens April 1st and April 15th for the Fall.